The golden glow of London 2012 might have faded slightly, but the flame still burns brightly in the heart of Sittingbourne’s Paralympic hero.

Steve Brown captained the GB wheelchair rugby team at the games, and he still cannot believe it was a year ago.

“I can still remember the sights, the sounds and the smells of the opening ceremony,” he said.

“I can remember being cheered on by everyone. I can remember it all so clearly I can’t believe it has been a year.

“That moment. Going out in the first match against America and scoring the first try.

“I have never heard anything like it. Those sounds of the crowds being aimed at me. It will live with me for ever.

“I’m in a very privileged position to be talking to people about it and reenacting it all, so it’s still very fresh in my mind.”

Now living in Redhill, Surrey – although he plans to move back to his home town – he is still a member of the Kent Crusaders wheelchair rugby team.

He has put a temporary hold on his involvement with team GB in order to build a future for himself after time spent almost completely focused on London 2012 – at the expense of family, friends and finances.

But next year, he plans to commit fully to securing his starting place again.

After his first taste of the games last year, he would like nothing more than to go through it all again at Rio 2016.

At the age of 32, he says it will be his last opportunity to go to a Paralympic games.

Steve’s journey has made him in demand as a public speaker, and he has travelled as far as the Allianz arena in Munich, Germany, to give talks.

At the moment, he works as a young athlete mentor for the Youth Sport Trust, which involves speaking to pupils in schools across the UK.

He is also one of the presenters on Game Changers, a programme for young adults on Sky Sports 1 on Saturday mornings, which has enabled him to meet David Beckham, Jessica Ennis and sprinter Darren Campbell.

Steve thanked the local charity organisations that helped pay for his chair and sports equipment before London 2012 so he could be in contention for team GB.